LAGAWAN: BACOLOD CITY: AIDA'S chicken

Bacolod City is well known not only for its sugar but also for its chicken inasal (grilled chicken). A trip to the City of Smiles is not complete without having a taste of this famous inasal, where else, but in Manokan Country.

Located beside SM City Bacolod and near Bacolod seaport, Manokan Country houses several native-style stalls made up of wood and bamboo that serves the delicious chicken inasal and other grilled food. Friends who have lived in Bacolod will always let us eat in Aida's, one of the stalls inside Manokan Country.

Actually I don't know what made this chicken house famous, that it even made the list of Esquire Philippine magazine's Best Restaurants of 2012. Maybe it's the taste of their chicken, the service, or even the place itself.

Because it was high noon, me and K satisfied our hunger here in Aida's. As we enter the restaurant, the staff who were waiting near the door approached us and took our orders right away. I ordered their pecho (breast part) chicken inasal while K ordered pork inasal and chorizo. And because it was blazing hot (the day made even hotter by the boxing title fight of Donaire. Unfortunately he lost to Rigondeaux) we also ordered 1 Liter of soda.

chicken love, pecho Php 80

As our order arrived the waitress asked if we would use utensils, we said yes and she went to the kitchen to fetch the utensils. (In chicken inasal houses it's customary to just use the hands for eating because its the native way and for added experience. But if you are not comfortable you can always ask for the utensils. Also as you will notice, a bottle filled with oil is within the condiments tray. It is chicken oil, and you may pour it into your rice for added flavor).

see how happy the chicken is?

As we were eating, I commented to K that there was nothing different with the taste of their chicken inasal to others that I have eaten. I also said that maybe because Aida's has been a favorite both by locals and tourists is maybe because of its taste (this I could not compare to other stalls because I have only eaten in Aida's), the quality of their service, and also the well-maintained place.